SLT enhances communication capabilities of HDFC Bank

Oct. 23, 2009 - PRLog -- Sri Lanka Telecom, the number one integrated communications service provider in the country has signed a an agreement with the HDFC Bank, the financial services provider for housing purposes, to provide a comprehensive communication solutions to their branch network.

The recent agreement was signed in order to provide a total voice communication solution by installing state-of-the-art PABX infrastructure for inter-branch calling facility, providing SLT Megaline (wired PSTN) and SLT Citylink CDMA connections and dedicated high capacity digital (E1) connectivity. This high capacity digital (E1) connectivity will handle the bank’s large volume of voice communication traffic. As a result of this enhancement the HDFC Bank will enjoy the facility of seamless connectivity for communications between the head office and its branch network.

SLT intelligent solution, which is a fully integrated business communication solution, has already been installed for inter-branch data communication at the HDFC, connecting more than 21 locations including the head office and branch offices by deploying the advanced IP/VPN solution. SLT’s IP/VPN solution, which is capable of carrying voice and mission critical data securely and reliably, will be an added advantage for them when they carry out branch expansion around the country. Over a period of time, HDFC’s data network has already been put in place as the backbone infrastructure by using SLT’s advanced IP based technology on the most trusted and reliable island-wide broadband network in the country. Utilizing this total communication solution, HDFC will be able to minimize communications costs within their network.

SLT Broadband internet services are provided through SLTnet, the largest ISP in the country. With this broadband connectivity, SLT provides internet facility to HDFC with  super fast access to online web applications such as web search, web mail, calendar, images, VoIP calling applications, audio and video amongst a host of other popular features on the internet.

Speaking on the significance of this agreement, Mr. Suresh Amarasekara, the Chief Executive Officer/ General Manager of HDFC Bank said, “Signing an agreement with SLT enables us to expand our coverage helping us to reach out to the masses of Sri Lanka. It also enables effective and efficient communications internally.”

Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Ajantha Seneviratne, the Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of SLT said, “SLT is glad at being chosen the total communication solution provider for HDFC bank. To make a bank’s operation smoother, technology advancement is a key requirement. SLT has always been committed to adding value to their strategic business partners by providing the latest technology”.

Sri Lanka’s banking industry relies heavily on communication systems for the transfer of data between banks, between bank branches and even between banks and their corporate customers where the volume of transactions is high. The availability of broadband access through virtual private networks has made it possible for banks to exchange information securely and in real time, enabling transactions such as the deposit of cash at one branch and its withdrawal from another. The ATM (automatic teller machine) is an extension of this system that has revolutionized banking in this country. It has already become such a part of everyday life, particularly in cities, that the ubiquitous ATM card can now be found in the wallet of almost every urban adult citizen. Today, with the advent of Internet banking, data communication in banking has gone a step further with the average consumer being able to execute a range of banking transactions, without having to visit the bank at all.
SLT’s customized communication solutions have already been adopted by 90% of the Sri Lankan state banks, private sector banks as well as rural development banks in a competitive environment. The banking sector fuels Sri Lanka’s economy with greater value addition and creates unlimited opportunities for all Sri Lankan businesses and entrepreneurs, even to those who are far away from the cities. It also helps to uplift Sri Lanka’s society by providing financial services wherever citizens are located and whatever their needs are.

Sri Lanka Telecom (www.slt.lk) is one of the country’s most valuable blue chip companies with an annual group turnover in excess of Rs 40 billion. Whilst Global Telecommunications Holdings N.V. of Netherlands owns a 44.98 % stake in Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), 49.5% is owned by the Government of Sri Lanka and the balance shares are remaining with general public. The company is rated by Fitch Rating on the following scales – Long Term Foreign Currency Rating  -  “B+”, Long Term Local Currency Rating - “BB-“, and National Long Term  Rating – “AAA(lka)”. Furthermore the company has also been rated by Standard and Poor for both long term Corporate Credit Rating and Long term Debt Rating at “B+”, which is one notch above the country rating.

SLT Group has a customer base in excess of four million including multinational corporations, large and small corporate, retail and domestic customers. Today SLT provides facilities and services: voice, data, IPTV, video and mobile to its customers, which are unmatched in scope. These services range from domestic and international voice, advance data transmission services which include internet services on leased lines, broadband [on ADSL] and dial up, data circuits, frame relay solutions to IP services such as IP-VPN based on IP-MPLS technology, total corporate solutions of multiple services, satellite uplink services and mobile telephony through the fully owned subsidiary Mobitel.
With a view to making Sri Lanka a broadband island, SLT is in the process of introducing the necessary infrastructure in the form of NGN [Next Generation Networks] using optical fiber backbone and broadband services such as IMS, IPTV etc. SLT also provides high speed global connectivity to countries in the South Asian region through its  international submarine cables such as SMW3, SMW4  the Bharat Lanka submarine cable [between India and Sri Lanka] and Dhirragu-SLT submarine cable system  between [Maldives Islands and Sri Lanka]. SLT Hong Kong Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom, fully geared to provide services such as IP transit, IPVPN, IPLC and International voice traffic transit services to global telecom operators and corporate in Hong Kong. Sky Networks is the newest entrant into SLT’s portfolio of companies in the process of launching WiMaX service. (Mobitel- the Mobile arm of Sri Lanka Telecom, SLT Vision Com - Interactive TV, SLT Manpower Solutions- Providing manpower solutions for the group, SLT Publications- Directory Services, and finally SLTS - Providing customer premium solutions  make up SLT companies).

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Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the number one integrated communications service provider in Sri Lanka. SLT is one of the country’s most valuable blue chip companies with an annual group turnover in excess of Rs 40 billion. SLT Group has a customer base in excess of four million including multinational corporations, large and small corporate, retail and domestic customers. Today SLT provides facilities and services: voice, data, IPTV, video and mobile to its customers, which are unmatched in scope. These services range from domestic and international voice, advance data transmission services which include internet services on leased lines, broadband [on ADSL] and dial up, data circuits, frame relay solutions to IP services such as IP-VPN based on IP-MPLS technology, total corporate solutions of multiple services, satellite uplink services and mobile telephony through the fully owned subsidiary Mobitel.